Defense Attorney Mark Geragos (L) gives prosecutors a glance during a court hearing in Modesto, May 2, 2003, as defendant Scott Lee Peterson looks on. Geragos, a high-profile criminal defense lawyer, was appointed on Friday to represent Peterson, who told a court last week he could not afford an attorney to defend himself against charges of murdering his wife Laci and their unborn child. Peterson made a brief court appearance to approve Geragos' appointment. The lawyer's past clients have included actress Winona Ryder as well as former Modesto area U.S. Congressman Gary Condit. Condit was linked to Washington intern Chandra Levy, also from Modesto, who disappeared in 2001 and was later found dead. REUTERS/POOL/Al Golub

2003-05-03 04:00:00 PDT Modesto -- Scott Peterson plans on being vindicated and on catching the person who killed his wife, Laci, and their unborn baby, said a prominent Los Angeles attorney who has been hired by the fertilizer salesman's family to defend him in the battle for his life.

Mark Geragos, attorney to movie stars and politicians, said Friday that he was prepared for a tough fight in the face of almost impossible odds -- at least in the court of public opinion.

"I saw somewhere that 90 percent of the populace thinks Scott's guilty," Geragos said while hustling away from reporters and television cameras after a brief court hearing. "It's the ultimate challenge for a defense lawyer. And after talking to Jackie and Lee Peterson (Scott's parents), I completely became convinced (that defending him) was something that needed to be done."

Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for Peterson, who is charged with murdering his 27-year-old wife and their unborn son. Stanislaus County District Attorney Jim Brazelton has said there are volumes of evidence - - both direct and circumstantial -- to link Peterson to the crime.

Prosecutors have given 1,000 pages of information about the case to the defense and still must hand over another 29,000 pages, Deputy District Attorney Dave Harris said. Almost none of the evidence has been released to the public, and prosecutors have declined to discuss what motive, if any, Scott Peterson may have had for the killings.

Peterson has denied he had anything to do with the deaths of his 7 1/2- month-pregnant wife and the unborn child.

On Friday, the 30-year-old Peterson hobbled into court wearing leg, waist and arm shackles, his face paler and thinner than before his arrest two weeks ago. His sister Susan Peterson Caudillo gave him a reassuring grin from the front row of the courtroom. Peterson sat quietly, rarely turning his head to the audience.

Laci Peterson's family filled the first row of the right side of the courtroom, where they sat with somber expressions. Although the case has divided the two families, they whispered cordially to one another across the aisle.

Laci's family and friends are holding a memorial service for her and the unborn baby Sunday, which would have been her 28th birthday.

Scott Peterson asked jailers whether he would be permitted to attend the service in downtown Modesto, according to Kelly Huston of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff said no, fearing that the field trip would be a security risk, Huston said.

Peterson hasn't been threatened directly, but he is being kept separate from other jail inmates, who have menaced him with catcalls and jeers, Huston said. The night he was booked into the jail, hundreds of people lined the street, some calling him a murderer.

On Friday authorities weren't taking any chances. Spectators and reporters entering the courtroom were subjected to a series of searches.

During the short proceeding, two deputy public defenders asked that Geragos replace them as Peterson's lawyers. A judge had assigned the public defender to the case April 21 when Peterson said he couldn't afford a private lawyer. Peterson's family has since decided to hire Geragos and pay for his services themselves.

"It was going to be a challenge," Faulkner said, adding that one thing he wouldn't miss was the media attention.

Inside the courtroom, Geragos' first duty as Peterson's attorney was to ask that his client be allowed to wear his regular clothes, rather than the jail- issued red jumpsuit and chain restraints, to future court appearances.

"Poster-sized pictures of him labeled as a 'monster in chains' are not conducive to him getting a fair trial," Geragos said of photographs of Peterson from his last court hearing, which graced the covers of tabloids and topped the evening news.

Afterward, Geragos said he didn't want to get into any defense strategy or the evidence in the case.

"Scott is doing well and is looking forward to proving his innocence," he said. "And Scott looks forward to finding out who did this to Laci and his unborn child."

Geragos has represented actor Winona Ryder on theft charges. He also was hired by former Rep. Gary Condit, after the Central Valley congressman was linked to Chandra Levy of Modesto, who disappeared while working as an intern in Washington. She was later found dead in a park near her apartment. Condit was not called a suspect in the case,

but was scrutinized after word of an affair between the two leaked out.

Recently, Geragos has been a regular commentator on CNN's "Larry King Live, " where he had spoken critically about Scott Peterson before taking him on as a client.

On Friday he publicly chastised himself, saying, "I think I succumbed to the media buzz."

The case, which is being played out on talk shows and television news programs around the clock, has indeed captivated the nation. Thousands are expected to turn out for Sunday's 3 p.m. memorial. Two Modesto church choirs have joined together and have been practicing gospel songs for the event.

The service is being held at the First Baptist Church at 1316 12th St., which despite having room for 2,000 people is expected to be too small to accommodate everyone who shows up. Seating for 800 additional mourners will be provided in two nearby buildings, where the memorial will be seen via closed- circuit television.

Nearly everyone in Modesto has been touched by the deaths. Laci Peterson spent most of her life in the Central Valley town, where she was a cheerleader at Downey High School. Those who didn't know her have friends who grew up with her or children who went to school with her.

The Modesto Bee, the town's newspaper, has asked readers to share their thoughts. On Friday the e-mails continued to pour in from people all over the country.

"We will never forget her beautiful smile," wrote Brenda Sokol of Anderson, Ind. "Two more angels among us."